Marissa Trobaugh I think that watching movies is a viable way to explore real events, circumstances, and attitudes while developing great analytical skills. “12 Years a Slave” and “Glory” are wonderful examples of movies which can be examined in historical education. They both address a time when racism was very popular, and blacks faced major adversity. Movies are a way of making history come alive and have a deeper affect on the masses. With “12 Years a Slave”, Steve McQueen wanted to address a topic that is often overlooked because of its controversial connotation. McQueen strived to create a movie that would make slavery come to life for the viewer and tug at their heart strings. The majority of people living on earth today do not know what it feels like to be a slave because they have not experienced it themselves. Reading something in text can produce a sense of understanding for the reader, but I believe that seeing something on screen makes it more relatable. It is one thing to read about how brutal slavery was in textbooks, but it is a another to actually see it in action. Movies are a more modern way of learning which can often be rejected by the older crowds because it is something that they are not used to. However, this does not take away from its legitimacy. Movies based on true stories are merely a means of enhancing the work. Another element in historical movies is their accuracy to the original event. I do not believe this is the most important thing because a scenario does not have to be completely true for genuine feelings to be produced. However, some people find it hard to see this because if the scene is not 100 percent accurate, then how can the reaction be the same? A scene being completely accurate does make it more legitimate, but it does not make or break the success of the scene. “12 Years a Slave” is based on a true story written by the real life Solomon. This story being made into a movie adds a dimension that can not be achieved by a book alone. Following characters on screen gives me the ability to have sympathy and get into the mindset of the situation. “12 Years a Slave” follows the true story very closely, and does not have many scenes that did not actually occur in real life. While I was watching “12 Years a Slave” there were many moments that brought me to tears, and I feel like movies have a better ability to influence my emotions than books. When I saw Solomon being forced to whip Patsy, I felt very sympathetic to him because I could see the pain in his face. This took me deep inside the occurrences during the time of slavery in a way that a book just could not do. In “Glory”, Zwick wanted to bring the attention of the public to black solders in the Civil War. I had never even heard of this concept before watching this movie. I was astounded by his angle of the war because it was so foreign to me and different from everything I had ever learned about the Civil War. Zwick said that he tried to “focus neither blacks nor whites, but on the regiment”. There was a sense of commrodiary amongst the members of the regiment, which I do not think could have been depicted by a text alone. The interesting thing about “Glory” is that it is not based off of any specific primary source. It is based on true events, but there was not actually a band of black soldiers who had been together since basic training. Even after learning this, I still saw the legitimacy in the feelings I had wile watching the movie. I would have to agree with movie critic Charity Bishop in her statement that “Glory” is “Less about battle scenes, and more about individuals”. This movie did more than just tell me about the battles and how many people died, it gave me an insight into the experience of the soldiers.
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